These are some shots of Red Creek strip, it's about 50nm north of PHX. The strip is around 1300ft, but fairly narrow. It is in the bottom of a canyon, which provides some spectacular views, but also means a constant tailwind for landing. You land to the west, T/O to the east, although I've heard of people going the other way on windy days. The canyon generates alot of turb on windy days, so I never go with more than light wind. Even so, my first time in I nearly went off the end; purely lack of skill on my part. We have had up to 10 planes camping here and it is a great place just to sit and listen to the quiet.
There are more photos in my photo album.
Jeff

The first 500 feet (landing west) still looks pretty rough. We used to float in ground effect with a little power until we cleared the rough and then "plop" down and roll out on the remaining runway. A nice tailwind will still makes that drop-off at the end come up a little fast sometimes though! In fact, back in the 80s or 90s a Cherokee ran off the end. We came back a week later and it had been removed - except for part of a wheel pantie and some broken plexiglass.

This is a pic of my dad, his bird (he still has it), and me (in a sleeping bag) that was taken back in the '80s. We used to fish, hunt wabbits and quail, shoot sticks floating down the Verde, and camp to watch the Leonid meteor showers there. T'was also a blast to fly low level down the Verde to Horse Shoe Lake on departure... That was until the tree-huggers showed up and started calling the FAA with tail numbers. Do the tree huggers still think the Bald Eagles even take notice of an occasional airplane these days?

Great fun...

Matt

You're right about the first 500ft, but with tires bigger than 7.00's it's not that bad. There is sort of an unwritten rule that if you use Red Creek, you preserve it. So people are always smoothing the runway and cleaning up.
I hear rumors about eagle people, but I've never heard of anyone getting in trouble. There are all kinds of airplanes flying through that canyon, so I don't think anyone cares. For what it's worth Red Creek is not part of the protected area.
Does anyone know if Bald Eagles are endangered anymore? In Alaska they are everywhere.

From what I remember, the protected area used to start just north of the departure end, and those fruitloops with binoculars used to camp out on the river north of the confluence of Red Creek and the Verde. Maybe they've packed it in... I sure hope so!

Yep... we were observers of the preservation tradition even back in the 80s. David Ellis was a pioneer of it...

Matt

On each of my last few visits, there has been quite a bit of low-flying traffic over and around the Red Creek airstrip. Even though I was announcing on both 122.8 and 122.9, I have never received a response traffic callout. Just offering all of this as a heads-up to those going in & out of there. Great strip with some increasing ATV cross-traffic that could also pose a danger....I've witnessed ATV's crossing the strip without looking for landing traffic. Also a tendency for downdrafts on short final if it's even slightly windy. Maintenance tools are under the bush at the main camp site. Raking a little bit of airstrip is a great way to add exercise to your weekend flying routine.

Be aware and mind your manners as we may be under close scrutiny. There was a C182 from Flagstaff that crashed and burned on Red Creek on or about Feb 11, they helicoptered the wreck out on the 17th. I've been told that the Scottsdale FSDO was in to check it out. I've not heard any repercussions from the BLM about it though. Just be real careful out there.
Mark Hawkins
Arizona Pilots Association
Recreational Airport Committee

Do the tree huggers still think the Bald Eagles even take notice of an occasional airplane these days?

Great fun...Matt

- Well, it does make sense that a large bird like a bald eagle would be concerned about larger aviators in it's immediate airspace. Although at the approach end of the airstip in Atlanta, Idaho, there is a massive Eagle's nest a couple of hundred feet to the East side of the short final approach path.
Also, apparently some Perigrine Falcons are nesting in the concrete corridors of some major cities in the US, too, so I guess that some of 'em can adapt, as long as their brood rearing isn't being interupted from thinning of the eggshells due to DDT poisioning (Which caused them to slide to the brink of extinction decades ago, before the US ban).
When any critter is on the edge of extinction, the Pecautionary Principle logically applies, until the crisis is resolved, & the genetic stocking of the species has recovered to sustainable levels.
We gotta all work together on these issues, otherwise we'll all hang separately.
Tailwinds, Berk

Hello everyone,

Looks like Red Creek has become a hit with the increase traffic in the last few years. I slip in and out of there once and a while hauling trash and abandon heap piles from the area. I'm the stealth guy that installed the horse shoe pits and flew in the picnic table. I built the fire pit and cleared the camping area. I "try" to keep the water containers full and the runway in shape. On occasion I'll drop off fire wood for over nighters. There are plenty of other locals that keep the place going too. You might remember me if you were there long ago for an overnight fly-in and we had 32 planes parked here and there. I think I was the only nose wheel pusher, the rest were dragging a little wheel under the tail . . .strange.

Red Creek has been eating planes for years and years. I'm not sure why another crash would be an issue unless it involved a second party like hikers or ATV riders. I guess burning the desert wouldn't score big either.

If or when you fly into Red Creek, please consider the hikers, campers, canoe riders, fisherman, hunters, horse type, ATV & 4X4 drivers. We are the king of noise and in the face of all those folks. T&Gs are very enticing as well as low pass runway checks. I'm getting a bit worried the increase in traffic and related noise might result in trenching of Red Creek like the Banana strip.

I now circle the strip looking for others before I land and try to be sensitive to their position. I might also caution against a solo visit if you suspect less then nice gun slingers down by the river. I have experienced some wild groups out there and passed on landing several times. I have talked to a lot of those ground pounder folk and we are on the unhappy list with some. Just keep in mind, you could be landing and taking off over their heads while they are target shooting with a beer in the other hand. Also, you might want to know where others are incase you need help.

Enjoy, the west half is a bit slow due to sand right now.

See ya,
Mark

I love Pilot Getaways magazine. However I did have some mixed emotions about their article on Red Creek a couple of months ago. It may be contributing to the increased traffic. The article and the traffic combine for a truly "double edged sword".

A couple of other observations about Red Creek from the past 25 years or so that my family has been operating there...

Prevailing wind in the morning is adiabatic in nature and out of the east. It can give you a nice push on final if the nights are cool and the days warm (This time of year). However as the day goes by, those same winds go back the other way. Since you must land west and take off east, those winds can get you on the departure. If there is a strong temperature differential between day and night and you're gonna be there into the heat of the day, plan to stay overnight. (None of this important info was in PG, unfortunately.)

The nearest road is 20-30 miles on foot/horseback/or 4wd thru a sand wash. We always "File a flight plan" with another pilot familiar with the area (FSS is useless in this case).

I am a shooter myself. However, I agree with MarkP regarding the other "clientelle" of the area. Know who is around you. Years ago, we discovered a huge garden of maryjane about a mile up stream along the bank of Red Creek wash. The cultivators might have been around, and quite unhappy with our discovery. In the middle of nowhere. With nobody else around... Catch my drift? Glad we were equipped to defend ourselves. Even more glad we didn't have to...

Matt

Oh yes, just noticed your reply, Berk.

I agree completely with your premise regarding the Eagles and "hang together or hang separately".

In that particular area the Eagles were/are plentiful and quite indifferent to our presence. I have never seen one even slightly change it's flight path because we were near. We certainly never tried to get a closer look than would have otherwise "incidentally" occured. Have you ever seen the Bald Eagles in Alaska? They're as plentiful as Sea Gulls. And completely ignore everything humankind does!

Very cool birds, and we always respect their presence.

Matt

Hello,

I am greatly intrigued with a flight to Redcreek and wanted to see if there was any update information on the site beforehand (last post being 2005). Regardless of a response, I plan to make a few low passes to survey the runway tomorrow and will post back. As a newer pilot with over 70 short/soft field landings of less than 1000 feet in my 1977 Cessna 150M (40 degrees flaps), I am being very cautious and want as much intel as possible before my wheels hit the dirt.


Blue Skies,
Z.

Z, sent you a PM

Hi zeigh,
Here's a video that I did a couple of months ago flying into Redcreek.

<object width="400" height="292"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1759315&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1759315&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="292"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/1759315">Landing At Redcreek Arizona And Flying The Verde River</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user656853">Hafast</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.

zeigh

I was in there last month. Not too bad. I'd say land on the last 2/3's(going west), keep the nose up, and stay on centerline. Some small ditches from rain, buy nothing that I would expect trouble from.

Gary

Nice job on the Video !!!!!

Ben.

zeigh wrote:Hello,

I am greatly intrigued with a flight to Redcreek and wanted to see if there was any update information on the site beforehand (last post being 2005). Regardless of a response, I plan to make a few low passes to survey the runway tomorrow and will post back. As a newer pilot with over 70 short/soft field landings of less than 1000 feet in my 1977 Cessna 150M (40 degrees flaps), I am being very cautious and want as much intel as possible before my wheels hit the dirt.


Blue Skies,
Z.

Check your PM

Stol wrote:Nice job on the Video !!!!!

Ben.

Thanks........I learned a lot from doing that one, but there's still a long way to go.

Any chance of an update for red creek?

Thank you!

i think it was james that said he did not like strips that could be access'd by trucks and etc...i did drop into red a couple of springs ago when headed home from dvt to ida...had an egt reading i did not like and landed to ck it out. when i circled the strip i could see other folks hanging out by the river, and they did walk up once i landed and shut down. as i was pulling my two top cowls, the 3 of them did look a little geasy, i must admit. turned out to be o.k. to talk to, but only after they may have noticed the exposed .45 in my cop-like belt...i really do like b/c strips that are true back-country, with not much other access. after they noticed the hardware, 2 of them went away and the other one borrowed me a leatherman to tighten a couple of things. turns out he was there for the weekend and they were headed back to phx that a.m....after i reattached the cowls, fired up and blasted off, all the while they seemed to watch...? kind of a weird place, for sure! guess i'm spoiled in IDAHO...

jomac wrote:i think it was james that said he did not like strips that could be access'd by trucks and etc...i did drop into red a couple of springs ago when headed home from dvt to ida...had an egt reading i did not like and landed to ck it out. when i circled the strip i could see other folks hanging out by the river, and they did walk up once i landed and shut down. as i was pulling my two top cowls, the 3 of them did look a little geasy, i must admit. turned out to be o.k. to talk to, but only after they may have noticed the exposed .45 in my cop-like belt...i really do like b/c strips that are true back-country, with not much other access. after they noticed the hardware, 2 of them went away and the other one borrowed me a leatherman to tighten a couple of things. turns out he was there for the weekend and they were headed back to phx that a.m....after i reattached the cowls, fired up and blasted off, all the while they seemed to watch...? kind of a weird place, for sure! guess i'm spoiled in IDAHO...

P.S. This airstrip is where Mark Hawkins(above in 2006 response ) crashed and died several years back. Be respectful